Council spending included trip to Brazil and private French lessons

The latest account of Toronto city councillor office budget receipts will no doubt have mayor-elect Rob Ford talking even more about stopping the gravy train.

According to the Toronto Sun, each of the 44 councillors has an office budget of about $46,000.

The Sun reports that the biggest spender was booted Beaches East York councillor Sandra Bussin whose total was just shy of $43,000. At the low end, Ford spent about $66 and Doug Holyday was at $1,500, according to the paper.

Holyday told the Toronto Sun he can’t figure out how bussin could possibly spend so much more than him.

According to the Sun, some of the things councillors bought with your money this year include $2,300 for private one-on-one french lessons for outgoing councillor Adam Giambrone. He also expensed flights to Austria, Spain and Brazil over the summer. Retiring councillor Kyle Rae spent $400 to cover the cost of a city park permit for a leather fetish party.

The new mayor-elect wants to slash the councillors’ office budgets to a maximum of $30,000 a year.